The periods between the 17th and the 19th century were a time of great change in which individuals pushed for reformation in particular aspects of society such as in politics, arts, literature, and ways of thinking. The development of these ideas originated in Europe but then progressed to other areas of the world like America. The 17th century marked the beginning of an era called the Enlightenment which paved the road for an era later known as Romanticism. During this time frame, writers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu, William Wordsworth, and John Keats were able to express their thoughts and emotions through their various works.
When considering the Enlightenment Era and the Romantic Era, one common theme seen between the two is rebellion. Specifically, in both eras, the rebellion was against past traditions due to individuals wanting to annihilate old ways of thinking. The Romantic Era dealt with the direct rebellion against artistic and societal ideals of the Enlightenment Era. This era took place in the latter part of the 18th century and dealt with values such as feelings, emotions, imagination, nature, beauty, and truth. The Romantic Movement accentuated emotions over reason highlighting the fact that feelings and perception were more predominant over rational ideas or thoughts. It underlined intense feelings as a source of aesthetic expression emphasizing these feelings as a way to look at the sublimity of nature. Overall, Romanticism glorified the beauty and aesthetics in worldly elements and human, so in essence artists, poets, and writers used this opportunity to exemplify how they depicted the world and their emotions in their work. On the other side of the spectrum, the Enlightenment Era focused on aspects of reason, rationality, and individualism. Unlike the Romantic Era, this era emphasized reason over emotion and originated in Western Europe. During this period, new scientific observations came into play, individuals were encouraged to think freely, and man’s connection with nature was emphasized. These thinkers believed that an individual’s mind should be freed from ignorance and the arbitrary powers of the state in order for mankind to progress and eventually achieve a state of perfection. Thinkers of this era hoped that individuals could be enlightened from the tyranny and detrimental elements of the past and seek reason, happiness, and make progress. The Enlightenment work A Vindication of the Rights of Women written by Mary Wollstonecraft can be compared to the Romantic poem “The Lamb” written by William Blake for their similarities and differences in their values. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women Wollstonecraft insists that the Enlightenment value of reason and not the Romantic value of emotion be the guiding force in human behavior. She believed that intellect would always rule and that reason was vital for the development of an ethical and virtuous character. She believed that the lack of reason in women would make them seem were weaker than men, therefore it was a …show more content…
One of the only prevalent values that appeared in both works was the value of religion. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Wollstonecraft asks what can save us from atheism when she questions how the God we worship is not a devil if “one being was created with vicious inclinations, that [was] positively bad” (Wollstonecraft 160). This brings up enlightenment value of Deism, which accepts that a God exists but not intertwining that belief with a specific religion. Similarly, “The Lamb” highlighted religion by connecting it with the human and natural worlds using the lamb as an analogy to the world God …show more content…
What I love the most about this era is that individuals encouraged creative and imaginative ways of thinking when it came to literature. In this time period, writing did not have to be realistic; instead, it could be left obscure and one could use their creative ability to fill in the holes. Because imagination was used a lot during this era, it shows that one did not have to be constricted to realistic aspects of writing. Being someone who loves to think freely and loves to be original, I love that these values were promoted. When we’re able to use our imagination we are able to escape from the decrepit world around us and go into a universe that we can create using our minds, similar to what the Romantics
When considering the Enlightenment Era and the Romantic Era, one common theme seen between the two is rebellion. Specifically, in both eras, the rebellion was against past traditions due to individuals wanting to annihilate old ways of thinking. The Romantic Era dealt with the direct rebellion against artistic and societal ideals of the Enlightenment Era. This era took place in the latter part of the 18th century and dealt with values such as feelings, emotions, imagination, nature, beauty, and truth. The Romantic Movement accentuated emotions over reason highlighting the fact that feelings and perception were more predominant over rational ideas or thoughts. It underlined intense feelings as a source of aesthetic expression emphasizing these feelings as a way to look at the sublimity of nature. Overall, Romanticism glorified the beauty and aesthetics in worldly elements and human, so in essence artists, poets, and writers used this opportunity to exemplify how they depicted the world and their emotions in their work. On the other side of the spectrum, the Enlightenment Era focused on aspects of reason, rationality, and individualism. Unlike the Romantic Era, this era emphasized reason over emotion and originated in Western Europe. During this period, new scientific observations came into play, individuals were encouraged to think freely, and man’s connection with nature was emphasized. These thinkers believed that an individual’s mind should be freed from ignorance and the arbitrary powers of the state in order for mankind to progress and eventually achieve a state of perfection. Thinkers of this era hoped that individuals could be enlightened from the tyranny and detrimental elements of the past and seek reason, happiness, and make progress. The Enlightenment work A Vindication of the Rights of Women written by Mary Wollstonecraft can be compared to the Romantic poem “The Lamb” written by William Blake for their similarities and differences in their values. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women Wollstonecraft insists that the Enlightenment value of reason and not the Romantic value of emotion be the guiding force in human behavior. She believed that intellect would always rule and that reason was vital for the development of an ethical and virtuous character. She believed that the lack of reason in women would make them seem were weaker than men, therefore it was a …show more content…
One of the only prevalent values that appeared in both works was the value of religion. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Wollstonecraft asks what can save us from atheism when she questions how the God we worship is not a devil if “one being was created with vicious inclinations, that [was] positively bad” (Wollstonecraft 160). This brings up enlightenment value of Deism, which accepts that a God exists but not intertwining that belief with a specific religion. Similarly, “The Lamb” highlighted religion by connecting it with the human and natural worlds using the lamb as an analogy to the world God …show more content…
What I love the most about this era is that individuals encouraged creative and imaginative ways of thinking when it came to literature. In this time period, writing did not have to be realistic; instead, it could be left obscure and one could use their creative ability to fill in the holes. Because imagination was used a lot during this era, it shows that one did not have to be constricted to realistic aspects of writing. Being someone who loves to think freely and loves to be original, I love that these values were promoted. When we’re able to use our imagination we are able to escape from the decrepit world around us and go into a universe that we can create using our minds, similar to what the Romantics